Meet Yusuf Mathir

Classified Employee of the Month

Meet Yusuf Mathir

Yusuf Mathir, who was born in a small town called Ladysmith in South Africa, grew
up in a diverse cultural environment that he says gave him a very good basis and understanding
of human character in its various forms. "It made me a better person on the inside
and propagated a better understanding of being more sensitive to the needs of others,"
he says.

Mathir's nominator couldn't agree more. "To have the pleasure of interacting with
someone who is cheerful, confident and upbeat about his work makes me, the client,
feel the same way," says Ann Leever, instructional associate in Distance Learning.
"Even though he works in one of the busiest departments on campus and is responsible
for keeping literally hundreds of computers and printers up and running, he still
takes time to listen to what you have to say and make you feel as if your computer
or printer is his top priority. Yusuf takes real pride in knowing that he has made
your work life a little easier."

Mathir says he has always been interested in all things electrical, electronic and
mechanical. "I earned a bachelor's degree in electrical and electronic technology
from University of South Africa and another bachelor's degree in electronic engineering
from the University of Michigan," Mathir says. He also studied hydraulics, pneumatics
and the principles of chip design using machine language. Mathir has worked in De
Anza's ETS/AV department for nearly 11 years.

"The job has enormous responsibilities," he says. "Our team is the central hub of
serving faculty and staff with the tools that they need to provide the proper technical
support for students. Our work covers computer repairs, software maintenance, upgrades,
printer repairs, operating systems, Macs, PCs and every possible peripheral device
that can be connected to a computer or laptop."

Mathir says his greatest joy is coming in to work every day knowing that the future
of our country depends on the best possible education that can be provided to our
students, and that the use of technology is one of the key instruments in achieving
that goal.

"This has been the most rewarding and most fulfilling job that I have had to date,"
he says. "The close interaction among faculty, staff and our department as a support
team has an extremely positive ripple effect ultimately on the students who attend
De Anza."